


The Princess and the Paladin

by Kamije_Celeek



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Also as many references to fictional princesses as I can make, Also kind of based off my story "A Bedtime Story For Holly", Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Basically everyone's their D&D counterpart except Max, Brenner is an ass, F/M, Fighting Back, Gen, Mage Eleven, Magic, Multi, Other, Paladin Mike, Princess Eleven, Romance, it might get dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 19:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17793215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamije_Celeek/pseuds/Kamije_Celeek
Summary: In a world where magic is dying, true Mages are rare.  And it was an obsession with true Mages that led to King Martin forcing Terry Ives to give him her daughter to be the princess of Mirkwood so he could harness her power.Sixteen years later, Jane's true father helped her escape and the king sent a group of mercenaries after them.  A group called the Party, led by Paladin Mike Wheeler.  However, what happens when a loyal and dedicated Paladin meets a princess who also happens to be one of the most powerful Mages in history?





	The Princess and the Paladin

_Our story begins long ago, in the kingdom of Mirkwood. There lived a young woman by the name of Terry Ives, and she was in a relationship with a man named James Hopper who also happened to be a member of King Martin's guard regiment. They were happy together and Terry was even expecting their first child when she went into work with him one day because they needed an extra hand in the castle. It was then that she met the king and her life changed dramatically. But not for the better, despite the fact that the king decided he wanted to marry her. It would have been better if she'd run away with Hopper and never looked back on Mirkwood._

_You see, King Martin had been obsessed with magic from the time he was a child learning to read. And not in the endearing way where he was fascinated by it and wanted to learn all he could. No, King Martin wanted to use magic to expand his kingdom further than any of his predecessors. Magic was widely used by many people, but that was limited to items and potions that could be used to give you abilities for a short time. Outside of natural talents such as music (Bards were said to use magic themselves) and healing, true magic-users—those born with magical power within—were rare due to the hunts that had all but killed them a century before._

_Terry was one of the last true Mages alive, and it seemed as if her child would follow a similar path. It was why she was able to work despite her belly and seemed to have more energy than most pregnant women. And it was for her child that the king wanted her. Her relationship with Hopper wasn't known to most people, and because the king was the king, she had to do what he said. Terry married King Martin and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, who proved to be another true Mage with her mother's magic passed on to her._

_It wasn't as if the young girl—now a princess—was alone in the castle. Her (step)father had two other daughters—both of whom were adopted and attempts to harness magic that had failed because neither of them had the right bloodline. The newest princess—Jane—was every bit of what King Martin had dreamed of since he was a child. She was powerful, skilled, and had a natural flair for magic almost as soon as she began training. And yet… she wasn't perfect. Jane longed to be outside Mirkwood, to see the world. And that was why King Martin adopted a baby boy to serve as Jane's younger brother. So that she would never want to leave._

_And, as the child that King Martin favored, it was her that he began to search for a match for, to carry on her bloodline and ensure that his kingdom would expand. A young prince named Troy was the person who showed the most promise at winning her hand—despite the fact that she was only sixteen. But King Martin—the asshole bastard motherfucker he was—didn't care that his youngest daughter was too young to take the throne or get married. He completely ignored his two older daughters who were more than of age to do both at the age of twenty. And it was because of the engagement that Hopper finally broke his silence on Princess Jane's parentage, taking his place as her father and offering her a way out._

_And Jane took it._

_No longer was she Princess Jane Brenner—no, now she was Jane Eleanor Hopper, the girl she'd been born as._

_She escaped._

* * *

"This is stupid."

Mike rolled his eyes at Max's statement.

"Listen, Max, it's a high-paying job. We do this right and we can bust down doors that weren't open before."

"I bet you she wasn't even kidnapped. She probably left to avoid Prince Troy High-and-Mighty. Have you  _seen_  that guy?"

"She's the Crown Princess of Mirkwood," Dustin butted in. "You know, next in line for the throne? The king wants her back so she can do that." Max narrowed her eyes and sat down on her chair in the tavern they'd stopped in.

"You guys go get the contract, then. I'll go with you to collect the princess, but I'm not going anywhere near King Martin of Mirkwood. He's a creep."

"I'm staying with Max," Will added.

Mike shrugged and he, Dustin, and Lucas set out for the palace. It was every bit as grand as the rumors had said, and the king himself cut a regal figure. But Mike couldn't help but agree with Max's 'creep' assessment of the man. His face was too gaunt and his manner too stiff. Standing beside him were two women and a little boy—his children, Mike guessed. It had been said that Princess Jane was the sole biological daughter of King Martin, and that her sisters were passed over due to this fact. There were a few rumors about the king, actually—that he was obsessed with magic, that the now-dead queen had been a true Mage, that he was a cruel ruler, that he abused all four of his children. None of them painted the king in the best light and most were hotly disputed.

"You are Mike Wheeler?" King Martin asked, his cold gaze on the young Paladin.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I appreciate you coming. My daughter—she was kidnapped by my captain of the guard and he fled into the night. I ask that you and your companions find both of them and bring them back here. The captain will be put on trial and my daughter will be married as planned."

He snapped his fingers and one of his attendants brought a pair of rolled-up scrolls, which he handed to Mike.

"These are the best pictures of them that I could provide. Bring them here as quickly as possible, and alive."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Mike, Dustin, and Lucas all bowed and were shown out of the throne room. Once they were back at the tavern with Will and Max, Mike pulled the scrolls out of his bag and unfurled them.

Princess Jane was very pretty, with a button nose and large, delicate eyes. Her hair was long and wavy, framing her face. Mike had never seen a girl as beautiful as her before and he felt a little uncomfortable bringing her back to be married off to some asshole prince. But a job was a job.

The captain was a gruff man with a receding hairline and a beard, every bit of what you'd expect for a captain of the royal guard. But not who you'd expect to kidnap a princess.

"We'd better get moving," he told his group with a frown. "He already has two days on us and we're not going to find him sitting on our asses."

Together, the Party set out to find the princess and the captain.

* * *

"No powers."

"Got it."

"Stay out of major areas; our faces will be plastered on every village board."

"Yes, sir."

"Do  _not_  let anybody talk to you other than when you buy supplies."

"Okay."

"Are you sure you want to cut your hair?"

She nodded and he sighed, taking a knife out of his bag and holding her thick and wavy brown locks. They currently went down to her waist, having been grown since she was a very young child and were considered one of her best features. You know, besides the obvious magical abilities. Hopper took a deep breath as he sliced her hair with the knife so that it was now shoulder-length. She shook out her hair, smiling as the weight was lifted and the cut hair fell to the forest floor. Her dress that she'd been wearing when she left the palace had been replaced with a dark blue tunic that was cinched around her waist with a belt and a pair of brown leggings. The silken slippers had been sold and in their place was a pair of black boots. Over all of it, she wore a dark green cloak that helped obscure her identity to those who might return her to Mirkwood.

"All right. We're done."

"Good. I like my hair short."

"Now, you're going to need a new name to go with this whole… look. Jane isn't going to cut it."

"Eleven."

"Eleven is your new name?"

"Yes." She smiled and he closed his eyes.

"My daughter gets a chance to pick a new name and she chooses a number. Jesus…"

Eleven stuck out her tongue and Hopper laughed. She had Terry's sass, all right.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon. I just need to send a message to a friend of mine who can help us hide for a while."

She nodded and Hopper walked off, muttering to himself about what he was going to tell whoever his friend was. Digging into her bag, she retrieved one of the few items she'd brought with her from the castle: a hand mirror, a gift from her mother shortly before the woman died. Eleven gazed onto the reflective surface and sighed before tying her hair back into a bun the best she could. She didn't look like pretty Princess Jane anymore. No, now she was Eleven the Mage—a true Mage who wouldn't take King Martin's bullshit anymore if it meant selling herself to the highest bidder.

Besides, Kat could rule now and she was better suited for it.

But vanity wasn't the only reason she'd brought out the mirror. Closing her eyes, she willed it to show her what she wanted to see and opened them again.

In the mirror, she could see a group of people—their faces shrouded by the darkness of night—talking. They were about her age from what she could tell, one female and four males. And she knew what they were doing—they'd been hired by her father to find her and bring her home. A shudder rippled down her spine at the thought and she swore that she would never set foot in Mirkwood again… unless it was to kill the king or watch her sister take the throne.

Quickly, she changed the image to her father, who was discussing marriage contract terms with Prince Troy. The young man was her age, but so… mean-spirited. He was needlessly cruel and it was said he'd forced another boy to jump off a cliff when he was a child because he was bored. There was no way in the Upside-Down that she'd allow herself to be married off to someone like that.

As a child, she'd dreamed of a fairy-tale romance, where a knight would sweep her off her feet and they'd get married. Her knight would be tall and handsome and strong and kind. And smart. Intelligence was nonnegotiable in her eyes. She wanted somebody who'd take care of her and not just see her as somebody with magic, somebody who wouldn't mind it when she got grumpy or was too tired to do anything. Somebody who would love her for the type of person she was and not what she could do or her title.

Prince Troy was  _definitely_  not her knight; she'd known that since she met him and his first comment had been about how excited he was for their wedding night. She resented him and had no intention of ever speaking to him again unless it was to throw the damn ring at him (she'd kept it just for that purpose. Or to sell if she and Hopper needed money.)

She sat down under a nearby tree and thought about her future.

It was all up to her now, and nobody else.

* * *

Joyce was a mother who hadn't had it easy.

She'd been married once, to a man who didn't actually love her despite giving her two sons. And now one of those sons had married a girl and the other had become an adventurer-for-hire. She was once again alone and seldom heard from either of her children. Even so, she went about her day-to-day life and kept her house in order, just in case Will or Jonathan came home and wanted to stay for a night. Her life was now predictable, day in and day out, and she could understand why Will had undertaken the life of a Cleric; it was so much more exciting than their little village of Hawkins.

That morning had dawned like any other, save for the news that was blowing through: the Crown Princess of Mirkwood had been kidnapped by the captain of the guard. It was also said that the Party—the group of mercenaries that Will belonged to—had been charged with tracking the man down and bringing him and the princess back. Joyce knew the captain personally; they'd grown up together in Hawkins before he moved to Mirkwood, and they were still good friends who sent each other letters on occasion. She refused to believe he'd done such a thing without reason.

And then the letter from him showed up by carrier dove.

_Joyce,_

_By the time you get this letter, you'll have heard the rumors that I kidnapped Princess Jane. And while they're technically true, they're also wrong because Jane went with me willingly._

_Queen Theresa, before she married the king, was our own Terry Ives. The woman that went with me to Mirkwood in the first place so we could make a life together. But the king demanded she marry him because she was a true Mage, despite the fact that she was pregnant with my daughter._

_Princess Jane is my daughter._

_I'm hoping that we can stay with you for a few days while we work out what to do next. We'll be there in three days, weather permitting. If you accept, do not reply. If you don't, send a message so we don't come._

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Jim._

She read and reread the letter, her heart pounding. She could only imagine why Hopper had suddenly taken Jane with him, other than her being his daughter, and the thought that some of the horrible rumors about King Martin were true sat ill with her. Particularly the ones where he was abusive towards his children. Princesses Katherine and Kali were more rebellious than Princess Jane was reported to be, and Prince Oliver was said to be a very sweet and shy child.

_What if it's because they've been downtrodden so much?_

_Katherine and Kali were passed over in favor of Jane._

_It's not fair._

And she made a decision: she would let Hopper and Jane stay with her for their sakes. She lived outside the village, after all. Nobody came to visit except for Karen Wheeler, which was seldom given that she had little reason to do so. The Byers home was the safest place for a runaway princess and her birth father to hide in Hawkins.

Joyce didn't send a reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that for a start?
> 
> Originally, this was going to be something akin to the first season of the show as a whole using their D&D counterparts. Then I decided, nah, let's do a 'princess runs away because NO WANT TO MARRY DOUCHEY ASSHOLE PRINCE' thing. Oh, and she meets the guy she actually falls for on the way. YAY. And this is in no way a comedy where they hate each other but then they love each other because PLOT. This is Mileven we're talking about; I don't think it's possible for them to ACTUALLY hate each other because it's Mileven. If anything, they'll argue because our beans are both headstrong and salty as hell when they want to be, but nothing malicious.
> 
> Next time, some plot. What else?
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish.


End file.
